For High Note Foundation, looking on the bright side through music is paramount.

The club, which doubles as a service organization, was founded last year and now numbers about 40 members. Its core objective is to provide student musical performances across Los Angeles at locations such as retirement homes, hospitals and charity events. Emily Hao, the High Note Foundation president, said she was compelled to found the club because she wanted to be a part of a student music organization that engaged more directly with the community. The third-year biochemistry student said the club is not only focused on giving back to others through music but is meant to give student members the opportunity to have fun with their musicianship in a noncompetitive way.

“I realized that for me, a lot of what made music fun was the community,” Hao said. “The whole point of the club was to bring the fun back into music and really bring the community aspect into it.”

Hao said she has played the classical violin for 16 years and taught herself how to play guitar during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her experience with guitar and the love she has developed for the instrument influenced her decision to form High Note, as she said she hoped to cultivate a welcoming environment for both trained and self-taught musicians. The club currently features students who play a wide range of instruments – including clarinet, piano, saxophone and ukulele – as well as several vocalists, she added.

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Joanna Sung, a third-year biochemistry student and the club’s internal vice president, said it was a chance meeting with Hao that prompted the inspiration for creating High Note Foundation. She said the two met briefly in a study room at Olympic Hall during finals week at the end of their first year and connected instantly over their shared interest in music. Together, they brainstormed throughout summer 2023 about how to start a new musical club, Sung said, and she has been highly involved in High Note ever since.

Sung said she has trained in piano in the past but now sings as a vocalist during High Note events. Even though she does not have the same level of music experience as some of her peers in the club, she said she still feels welcome and encouraged. She added that new members must submit an audition video that will be reviewed by the current board members in order to join High Note, but passion, enthusiasm and dedication are more important for potential members to possess than years of technical experience.

“I feel like it’s just a good community,” Sung said. “There’s nothing that’s like, ‘If you’re more skilled, you’re better.’”

One of Sung’s primary responsibilities as the internal vice president is to coordinate the pairings and duets for upcoming musical performances, she said. Members are given the opportunity to choose what song or instrument they would like to play at an upcoming performance, Sung said, and from there she is able to facilitate partnering up two or three members to collaborate on a particular number. Although the club has yet to have any unorthodox combinations, Sung said a traditional collaboration might include a pianist and vocalist or two clarinetists. Emphasizing the importance of teamwork, she said the club would not be able to function as it does without the support and dedication of its other board members: Richard Chiu, Olivia Dansby, Adrienne Lee, Aidan Robinson and Rachel Yu.

For member Claire Li, it was a natural decision to join High Note Foundation since the club allowed her to continue pursuing piano – which she has played since age 5 – in a more social environment. The second-year computer science and engineering student said the music played at High Note Foundation typically encompasses pop, classical and jazz genres, ranging from holiday carols to hymns such as “Amazing Grace,” while also including songs from the “La La Land” soundtrack and contemporary pop tracks such as Coldplay’s “Yellow.”

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When arriving at a venue such as a retirement home or charity event for a musical performance, Li said the participating club members usually have about half an hour to prepare before their set begins. The duration of a performance lasts around an hour, Li said, with between 10 and 20 students singing or playing their instruments for the audience. She said she enjoys being able to interact with members of the crowd after a performance to connect with listeners and see the joy, unity and gratitude the music provides.

“I didn’t realize how much of an impact music can have on people,” Li said. “It’s a way for them – especially at retirement homes – for people older to connect with current students and for us to also interact and help people that we otherwise probably wouldn’t be able to meet or see.”

For Hao, the most rewarding experience thus far with High Note was a performance at The Watermark at Westwood Village, a senior living community. She said she and several other members were moved to tears after seeing the impact their music made on the residents. It has been rewarding to witness the impact of a club she founded, Hao said, not just on the audiences High Note shares its music with, but for the members who have grown to love the organization.

“Everyone who’s there really wants to be there and loves what they’re doing,” Hao said. “Everyone shares the same passion and love for the music that they’re playing, and you can really feel that and connect over that when you’re performing.”